EAST BRADY, Clarion County — Dan Markel was diagnosed at birth with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

“Muscular dystrophy is a disease where you progressively lose muscle tone in your body,” said Markel, 24, the son of Sheila and Bill Markel of the Seybertown area.

Markel, who played baseball growing up, could walk up until he was 12.

As his body became weaker, Markel went from using a manual wheelchair to a power wheelchair.

“That was a little tough at first because I was always afraid of what people thought about me, but you just have to stay true to yourself and not worry about what others think of you,” he said.

“It's all about your attitude,” he said. “Follow your dreams. Don't let anything get in the way of what you want to do in life. You have to stay positive.”

Markel was recently named the State Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association where he will have a chance to share his story and experience to encourage and inspire others with neuromuscular diseases.

Football and basketball are his two favorite sports, said Markel, a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

In high school, Markel could not participate in sports. Out of a desire to be involved, he became the statistician for the football and basketball teams.

“My friends were athletes and participated in sports,” he said. “I just wanted to do what they were doing and be with them, so that allowed me to still be involved with sports.”

The 2015 Karns City High School graduate continued to pursue his interest in college and earned a degree in sports management from Edinboro University in August.

“It was a really great school because it was accessible, and there's lots of other students with disabilities there,” he said. “There was a lot of people who were similar to me.”

In college, Markel did his field work with the university's wheelchair basketball team and was a statistician for the basketball and wrestling teams.

He also became the director for the adaptive sports club where he organized weekly activities for the students with disabilities, including a trip to Washington, D.C., as well as a canoe trip.

One of his favorite moments was canoeing at the lake in Edinboro, he said. Markel grew up along the Allegheny River and enjoyed water activities, including water skiing and canoeing.

“Some of the students have never been in a canoe before or did anything adventurous like that, so that was really new for them,” he said. “Some of them were surprised at how much fun they had and that they never experienced being out in the water and doing anything extreme like that. It was good for them to give them a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Currently, Markel works part-time as an assistant athletic director at Karns City High School.

The Muscular Dystrophy Association helped Markel with support and learning about muscular dystrophy, he said.

Markel first attended the Muscular Dystrophy Association's summer camp when he was 8 years old, he said.

Last summer, Markel decided to return to the summer camp as a camp counselor. He was part of a panel with other people diagnosed with muscular dystrophy who went to college who talked to the campers about their futures and their own experiences.

In October, he shared his own experiences with muscular dystrophy as one of the panelists among doctors and muscular dystrophy professionals in Pittsburgh who discussed current research and new equipment.

After MDA officials asked him if he wanted to apply to be the state ambassador, he filled out the application and earned the spot, Markel said.

As state ambassador, Markel will attend events and fundraisers to speak and meet other people with muscular dystrophy and share his life experiences.

Markel's efforts as state ambassador will help fund three clinics in Pittsburgh, an associate clinic in Erie, the association's weeklong summer camp at Camp Kon-O-Kwee in Fombell for 60 youths and researchers in Pittsburgh and others that are trying to find a cure, said Linda Hlavinka, executive director of the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Western Pennsylvania which has 2,000 registered members.

“Dan has been an outstanding member of the MDA,” Hlavinka said about Markel and his family's involvement in fundraising and helping to raise awareness about neuromuscular diseases.

Markel's first event as state ambassador is the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Western Pennsylvania's Toast to Life Gala in March.

Markel hopes to visit Harrisburg to fight for disability rights and speak with lawmakers to help pass muscular dystrophy-related legislation.

One issue is accessibility in everyday life from stores to airplanes, Markel said.

“There's really no airplane I can drive my wheelchair onto,” he said.

Markel said he is happy and humble to be the state ambassador.

“I'm not really doing it for myself, but to influence others and show them it doesn't matter that they're disabled. They can still be productive members of society,” he said. “I also want to be the voice for people who are afraid to speak up or who can't speak up for themselves.”

WHAT: Toast to Life Gala by the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Western PennsylvaniaWHEN: 6 to 9 p.m. March 26WHERE: The Circuit Center and Ballroom, 5 Hot Metal St., Pittsburgh, on the corner of Hot Metal and Sidney in the IBEW Local 5 buildingCOST: $350 per ticketNOTE: This is the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Western Pennsylvania’s largest gala that raises money to support people with neuromuscular disease. There will be live music, entertainment and more.